Practical Tips to communicate with those using a hearing aid

1. Speak clearly and naturally

You don’t have to shout. This does not help with understanding speech. Don’t speak more loudly, but more clearly and slowly. The rate of speech should be kept slow as with advancing age the brain’s power of discriminating between words decreases.

2. Shorten the distance
In loud environments, you should shorten the distance between you and the listener.

3. Maintain eye contact
People with hearing loss gain important information from facial expressions and lip movements. The more clearly you speak the better for your partner.

4.Get attention
Call the hearing aid user by his or her name. Make sure that the person can see you or lightly tap his or her shoulder.

5. Be aware of the surroundings
Avoid having conversations from one room to another or in a place with intense background noise. Vacuum cleaner, washing machine or loud music can make a conversation frustrating for both sides.

6. Respect the limitations
Please be aware that using a hearing aid can be very exhausting at first. When talking to a hearing aid user, look for signs of tiredness. Do not force or prolong the conversation unnecessarily.

7. Be patient
Especially during the learning phase, the concentration of the hearing aid user may lessen quickly. Hearing and understanding take a lot of energy. Never force a conversation.